Pistol found in prison bus after court cleaning at Mount Lavinia

The pistol had been found by the inmate while he was cleaning the court’s evidence storage room 

By B. Janaka  

A tense situation unfolded at the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court yesterday (29) when an inmate was discovered with a 9mm firearm while being transported back to prison.  

According to reports, three inmates had been brought to the court premises to clean its storage area as part of a scheduled maintenance activity. During the cleaning, an inmate had allegedly found a 9mm pistol inside the court’s evidence storage room. The inmate had then taken possession of the firearm and boarded the prison bus without informing authorities.  

The bus had left the court to return to the prison, carrying several inmates including Gamage Hasitha Kumara, also known as “Etaya,” who had been produced in court earlier in the day. The inmate who had found the pistol had been seated directly behind him.  

Prison officers aboard the bus had noticed the inmate holding a suspicious parcel. Upon inspection, they discovered the concealed firearm. The bus had immediately returned to the Mount Lavinia Courts, and police officers at the premises had been informed of the incident.  

Authorities have since launched an investigation into how the firearm was left unsecured in the court’s evidence storage and how the inmate managed to take it undetected.